How Swinerton Used Clearstory for Change Order Transparency and Alignment at San Diego’s Historic Hotel Del Coronado Renovation

“Clearstory has been a game-changer on this project. I don’t see how we could’ve kept up without it,” says Peter Schoemann, Assistant Project Manager at Swinerton Builders.

On a renovation as complex as the iconic Hotel Del Coronado, success required more than just hard work in the field, it required every stakeholder to be aligned on Change Orders. Clearstory provided the transparency, collaboration, and accountability that made it possible.

Renovating a landmark originally built in 1888 meant the Swinerton team was constantly navigating unforeseen conditions and changes in scope. These changes created a steady flow of Change Orders that needed to be tracked, reviewed, and reconciled.

“When you’re dealing with an old building that’s been remodeled so many times, unforeseen conditions and additional scope are inevitable,” Schoemann explains. “The challenge was making sure we had complete visibility into every single one.”

Using a Real-Time Change Order Log for Instant Stakeholder Transparency and Alignment 

Developed by former contractors to rescue projects still grappling with manual Change Order processes and paper-driven workflows, Clearstory’s core product is a shareable, cloud-based Change Order Log that creates instant transparency between stakeholders and features simple but powerful work streams to capture field-directed extra work, conduct pricing exercises, and streamline Change Order review. 

For Swinerton, it meant moving to a single, collaborative COR log that kept all stakeholders including subs and Swinerton self-perform and GC teams aligned.

“The Clearstory interface mirrors traditional processes, but it’s digital, faster, and far more reliable,” Schoemann says. “Our teams can just document changes in real time, attach photos and T&M Tags and backup, and everyone instantly sees the same information.”

“The standardization and quality of documentation in Clearstory has been a huge benefit. Everything is in the same format, with photos and descriptions and backup. It’s made tracking and reconciling Change Orders seamless.”

Peter Schoemann
Assistant Project Manager, Swinerton Builders

Purpose-Built for Collaboration to Drive Value and Efficiency for All Stakeholders

Michael Ybarra, Project Manager with Swinerton’s self-perform drywall group, saw a big difference in day-to-day collaboration. “With both the Swinerton GC and self-perform teams using Clearstory for this project, it’s brought just even more transparency, clear communication and accountability,” he says. “Clearstory gives us confidence that nothing is slipping through the cracks.”

The ability to track changes precisely in a cloud-based COR Log that tracked every adjustment meant less back-and-forth, fewer disputes, and greater trust among all parties.

That same sense of clarity extended to subcontractors on the project. BrandSafway’s Travis Troxler, who managed scaffolding and hoisting, describes the benefit of having a transparent system that every party could see.

Clearstory has made it much easier,” he says. “The transparency of being able to see photos and descriptions put in by our foreman as well as the superintendents for Swinerton means everybody’s on the same page. There’s no question with the pictures that are downloaded into each Change Order. We’re able to discuss, clarify, and work it out together.”

For Troxler, what once meant chasing signatures and resolving disputes after the fact became a collaborative process anchored by shared documentation.

The results went beyond efficiency gains. Clearstory eliminated disputes, ensured consistent documentation, and reduced the need for extra staffing.

“Clearstory has essentially become an additional staff member on this job,” Schoemann notes. “Without it, we’d need one or two more full-time people just to manage Change Orders.”

Ybarra echoes the sentiment, adding that “the ability to track changes with precision allows us to present clear, defensible data to owners and stakeholders. That’s been key in maintaining trust and avoiding delays, and the peace of mind it provides is invaluable.”

What emerged at the Hotel Del Coronado was a new model for collaboration on Change Orders. Instead of a fragmented process, Clearstory created alignment across Swinerton’s GC team, self-perform crews, subcontractors, and owners alike.

Instant Visibility with Fast, Easy Implementation and Field-Team Adoption

With real-time visibility into scope changes, Clearstory ensured accountability, and provided the confidence that nothing would fall through the cracks. As Schoemann puts it, “We’re managing subcontractors and our own crews, and Clearstory keeps everyone aligned. It’s not just a tool, it’s a strategic partner.”

Another factor in Clearstory’s success at the Hotel Del was how quickly the teams adopted it. Even foremen who were less familiar with technology found the mobile app intuitive, allowing them to document changes in real time without slowing down their crews. That ease of use made collaboration seamless and ensured the system became embedded in daily workflows rather than an added burden.

Looking ahead, Schoemann sees Clearstory as a platform that can scale well beyond a single historic renovation. “It’s a platform that scales with your projects, whether it’s a historic renovation or a new build,” he  says. “We’ve seen firsthand how it saves time, minimizes risk, and keeps every stakeholder on track.

For projects where transparency and trust are as critical as craftsmanship, Clearstory is helping redefine what collaboration looks like in Change Order management.